Usability testing in multiple languages? Read our new workbook

We can’t think of a better way to learn what works for voters than usability testing. That includes voters who speak one of the additional languages election offices support.

Testing voting materials in languages other than English has been a part of our work early on. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about adapting usability testing to multiple languages and have assembled what we’ve learned in our newly released workbook on the topic.

Multilingual usability testing is an effective way to make sure voting materials communicate to your voters in a language and design that resonates with them. Testing material in target languages will also help you learn more about the language community you serve, and about ways to meet them where they’re at.

This workbook is intended to be quick and easy to follow. It includes:

• The main steps for conducting usability tests in multiple languages
• Practical advice on finding a moderator and recruiting test participants
• Information on how analyzing a multilingual test is different from a usability test in one language
• Guidance on incorporating your findings into your long-term language access plan
• Downloadable worksheets to help you get started

If your office has been considering usability testing in multiple languages and wants additional support, or if you have already begun and want more guidance, this workbook is a great resource to get started.  

As a last note, this resource is a work in progress. We’re still developing this approach and will refine it as we learn more about testing in multiple languages. We’d love for you to reach out to us with your thoughts and experiences and look forward to hearing your feedback.